The accusations have sparked widespread backlash, especially from conservative figures, who claim that taxpayer money was used to support a media organization that promoted politically biased content. The controversy began when right-wing journalist Benny Johnson revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that Politico had failed to pay its employees on schedule for the first time in the company's history. Johnson suggested that this issue was directly tied to the end of USAID funding, which he claimed had been keeping the company afloat.
Johnson criticized Politico's management for attributing the payroll delay to a "glitch," instead of acknowledging the true cause: the loss of government funding. Johnson posted a screenshot of an internal email from Politico, which informed staff about the missed pay period and blamed it on technical problems.
🚨 This is the biggest scandal in news media history:
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 5, 2025
No employee at Politico got paid yesterday. First time ever the company missed a pay period. This is a crisis.
Now we learn Politico — a “news company” — which spent the last 10 years trying to destroy the MAGA Movement was… pic.twitter.com/DwHqEp6gjp
In addition to Johnson's claims, other conservative journalists, including Liz Wheeler, echoed the concern that Politico's financial struggles were a result of the halted USAID funds. Wheeler posted on X, suggesting that Politico was facing closure now that government-backed financial support had ended.
The allegations against Politico extended to other major media outlets, with some conservative commentators claiming that the Associated Press had also been receiving government funds for years.The Politico scandal is worse than you think.
— Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) February 5, 2025
It’s not $8M that Politico received from USAID.
It’s $34.3M that Politico has received from various swampy federal govt agencies.
Politico is, without a doubt, a totally corrupt propaganda arm of the swamp.
Follow along below. pic.twitter.com/OxF7Zrc4GP
It's not just Politico. The Associated Press has been raking in millions of dollars in government money for years.
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) February 5, 2025
The AP's bias also makes perfect sense. pic.twitter.com/RrH5JPykvY
However, the most significant claims were directed at The New York Times (NYT). Ian Miles Cheong, another prominent right-wing journalist, revealed that the U.S. government had provided tens of millions of dollars to the NYT over the past five years, raising concerns about the influence of government money on media organizations.
To support these claims, Cheong and other conservative journalists shared screenshots of funding receipts from USAspending.gov, a publicly accessible government platform that tracks and records U.S. federal spending. According to these documents, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services had contributed $26.9 million to the NYT, while the National Science Foundation had provided $19.15 million. Notably, in August 2024 alone, the NYT received $4.1 million. Cheong argued that this funding was used to "prop up" the newspaper, which he claimed had published content aligned with specific political agendas, such as support for Ukraine and opposition to figures like Donald Trump and Elon Musk.The US Government gave the New York Times tens of millions of dollars over just the past 5 years despite paying relatively little money to the NYT in the years preceding 2021. For instance, in August 2024, the US government awarded $4.1 million to the NYT.
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) February 5, 2025
The bulk of the funds… pic.twitter.com/XWvv3CplI8
The growing controversy comes at a time when scrutiny of U.S. government spending is intensifying, particularly under the Trump administration. Concerns about the government's involvement in funding media outlets have prompted debates over transparency and accountability. USAspending.gov, a platform created under the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014, has become a key tool for investigating government spending, allowing the public to track financial data from over 100 federal agencies, including USAID.
This scandal also coincides with ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to cut government spending. The administration is reportedly considering significant reductions to various government-funded programs, including USAID. Thousands of USAID employees are said to be placed on leave, and the agency's role is being realigned with the administration’s policy priorities. These changes have sparked concerns about the future of government-funded programs and their potential impact on media organizations.
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